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The complexity of commercial broking in Australia continues to rise, with greater choice of funding structures and higher borrower expectations. This has changed how performance is defined and what separates the best commercial mortgage brokers from the rest.
MPA’s latest data reinforces a pattern that emerged last year and shows what now defines performance at the top end of the market. Median loan values have continued to rise – from $122.8 million in 2022 to $190.5 million in 2025 – pointing to a move towards larger transactions. Top-end volume peaked in 2024 and remained elevated in 2025, with the leading broker settling more than $1.1 billion, well above volumes of earlier years.
Deal counts have declined, with the top broker writing 61 loans compared to 98 in 2024 and 130 in 2023. The spike of 547 loans in 2024 didn’t carry into 2025, with volumes returning to a more typical range. Across the four-year period, performance remained anchored to larger deal sizes rather than higher transaction counts.
At the firm level, Stamford Capital Australia stands out, with five individuals ranked among this year’s top performers.
“Funnily enough, we haven’t done much differently,” says managing director Peter O’Connor. “We’ve stayed true to our core values, invested in our team’s growth and development and fostered strong relationships with lender partners and clients. We’re proud that our top five brokers represent every Stamford office around the country and a mixture of positions in the business.”
Stamford approaches commercial property with a long-term view, prioritising enduring client partnerships over transactions, with results built over years of dedication from its brokers and support teams.
Among them is the top-ranked broker, Bill Moskovich, whose trajectory reflects both individual performance and the firm’s broader approach. He joined Stamford Capital after a chance meeting with co-founder Michael Hynes led to an internship and has since progressed to executive director, now leading the Sydney team. In 2023, he cemented his reputation by settling more than $1 billion in loans in a single calendar year.
“Every year, it’s me versus me. I’m always looking to be better, to improve and to build on last year’s results,” Moskovich explains. “I don’t measure myself against other brokers. I measure myself against what I did last financial year and ask how I can beat it. But a big part of my role now is mentoring, giving back and building up the next generation of Stamford Capital brokers.”
MPA identified the Top Commercial Brokers 2026 through broker submissions covering 2025 performance, including total loan value, number of deals, lending mix and team structure. Aggregators verified all entries, with the final top 34 each settling more than $100 million, ranked by total commercial loan volume across the year. While the ranking is based on total loan volume, the data and industry insight point to a broader shift in how performance is defined among the market’s best mortgage brokers.
Across the leading cohort, larger deal sizes, stronger risk discipline and ongoing client relationships are increasingly shaping how that volume is generated and sustained. Industry data from the MFAA reinforces that shift, with broker-written commercial lending rising more than 30% year on year and nearly one in three brokers active in the segment.
Daniel Adams, co-founder and CEO of Engine Capital, points to the expanding range of lending options as a factor. Brokers operate across secured and unsecured lending, development finance and specialist commercial products, requiring a level of judgement that extends beyond deal placement. He describes the role as one of rapid assessment, directing clients to the most appropriate funding path. “It’s like a triage nurse,” he says.
For Joel Harrison, head of partnerships and distribution at Thinktank Australia, that judgement is central to performance. Volume remains important, but it’s an outcome rather than a measure of capability. High-performing brokers stand out for their ability to determine how a deal should be structured and which lender is best placed to deliver the result.
“Consistently successful commercial brokers understand where a deal belongs – which lender, which structure and which approach will deliver the best outcome for the borrower,” Harrison says. “That insight comes from acquired experience, continual learning and building trusted lender relationships that allow for open, proactive deal discussions.”
The role itself is also broadening. Brokers are increasingly seen as long-term advisers who support clients across the life of a business, not just at the point of funding. Anita Lindsay, NAB’s head of commercial broker and equipment finance for Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory, says sustainable performance depends on quality submissions, sound risk governance and consistent client outcomes. Lenders and aggregators are placing greater weight on how brokers manage risk and maintain relationships over time, not just how much they settle. “Brokers who consistently deliver high-quality, well-structured deals that stand up over time are best positioned to drive sustainable growth,” she says.
Technology is accelerating these changes, but not without trade-offs, the experts note. Digital tools are improving efficiency in areas such as financial analysis and submission preparation while introducing new risks around data quality and verification.
Deloitte’s 2026 Commercial Real Estate Outlook shows adoption remains uneven, with 19% of organisations still early in their AI journey and 27% reporting implementation challenges.
Lindsay emphasises that efficiency comes with added responsibility. “Brokers will increasingly use AI and data as enablers while applying sound judgement, validation and robust processes to ensure the right outcomes for their customers,” she says.
Martin Kennedy’s approach is defined by his ability to reframe complex transactions. In a recent deal involving a multi-venue pub group acquiring a large freehold hotel, the client’s existing lender could not accommodate the structure, given the complexity of the group’s existing debt position across multiple projects.
He drew on his understanding of the group’s strategy and the hospitality sector to reposition the transaction, articulating how the acquisition would strengthen both gaming and accommodation revenue streams. “By leveraging our network, we placed the deal with a lender that has a genuine appetite for the industry and the client’s longer-term strategy,” he says.
A key decision behind that performance was expanding internal capability. Bringing an experienced business banker into the team has increased capacity for complex deals while allowing Kennedy to focus on strategy and client relationships, contributing to stronger deal flow and revenue.
Luke Radford’s performance begins well before a deal is in play. Working with a long-standing rural family client with ambitions to expand, he spent months refining capacity, risk profile and growth appetite rather than waiting for an opportunity to emerge. “That preparation proved critical,” he says. “As with any family-run agribusiness, aligning all parties was essential.”
When the right property became available, that groundwork allowed the deal to move decisively. By setting out the strategy, funding structure and implications for both the business and family early, the transaction was structured appropriately and completed within a tight time frame, supporting long-term objectives and sustainability.
That same approach informed a key decision over the past year, with Radford investing in resources and team capability to support growing demand while maintaining standards. “The impact has been clear in both performance and the level of service we’re able to sustain as the business scales,” he says.
Daniel Kelly’s work extends beyond traditional broking. In a Northern Beaches project, he was engaged by a client who had assembled a site over time but lacked both the capital and delivery capability to move forward.
He structured a solution that addressed both debt and equity requirements, introducing a capital partner and a builder at the partnership level to bring the project to life. The result transformed a stalled opportunity into an active development, with construction underway and strong buyer interest emerging.
The deal reflects an approach that brings together both funding and delivery capability. “What was once an unsolvable problem for the client has turned into an enormous opportunity to build his brand and deliver a quality boutique project in a blue-chip market,” he says.
Kelly has taken a disciplined approach to time management, mapping out his month, week and day to maintain momentum.
Angus Sheedy’s approach focuses on identifying value others may miss. In supporting a young client developing 26 industrial units in Albury, he helped unlock equity created through presales and permits despite the client having only $100,000 in the deal.
By aligning the right valuer and lender to recognise that uplift in a regional market, the project secured funding and moved forward as a career-defining development for the client. “The client bought on delayed terms but did not realise the uplift they had created,” he says.
That outcome reflects a broader investment in systems and processes, with Sheedy creating structured workflows to maintain consistency and keep every stage of a transaction on track. “This has created a standard that delivers exceptional results for our clients,” he adds.
Grant Rex’s work is defined by speed and precision. In one transaction for a new client, he structured a cross-collateralised facility spanning the acquisition of a specialised asset and the commencement of a large-scale multi-residential development.
As a standalone transaction, the specialised asset would not have supported the required leverage. By structuring the facilities across a combined security pool, Rex was able to present the strength and diversity of the assets to lenders.
Rather than broad outreach, he approached just three lenders with the appetite and capability to execute a facility exceeding $100 million within a six-week window, securing a term sheet within days and settling funding across both properties.
That focus reflects a broader shift in his approach as he becomes more selective about the projects and clients he takes on to deliver better outcomes. “I realised I do my best work when I’m focused on a smaller number of quality opportunities,” Rex says.
Guy Smith’s work often occurs within fast-moving acquisition environments. Supporting a long-standing client undertaking multiple acquisitions in a short period, he faced the challenge of determining a true earnings position while performance was still evolving.
By working closely with lenders to assess normalised EBITDA and establish a sustainable run rate, taking into account the annualised impact of those acquisitions, Smith secured funding across each transaction where conventional metrics alone would not have held.
Over the past year, Smith has fine-tuned his focus on execution, prioritising the right deals at the right time to move them through to completion. That discipline has reduced work in progress, freed up capacity and improved overall pipeline performance. “Sometimes you are just putting out fires and inching forward on many fronts,” he says.
Adam Miller’s approach centres on how a deal is presented. Working with a developer to secure a $21 million construction facility for a new retail centre, the challenge was ensuring lenders recognised the value already created on the site over several years.
Through detailed technical modelling and structured presentations to major banks and select non-bank lenders, he demonstrated the project’s valuation uplift as real equity, reframing how the deal was assessed.
Miller’s performance has been supported by investment in people, with team expansion in South Australia strengthening delivery and capacity.
The 2026 rankings highlight a clear shift in what defines success at the top end of commercial broking, moving away from transaction volume and towards the quality of decisions made before a deal reaches market.
La Trobe Financial congratulates MPA’s Top Commercial Brokers for 2026.
This year’s list recognises the industry’s highest-performing commercial brokers, professionals who consistently deliver strong outcomes for their clients and play a vital role in supporting Australian businesses and communities.
In a market defined by ongoing economic uncertainty, heightened credit selectivity and increasing regulatory and funding complexity, this year’s award recipients have demonstrated exceptional leadership, adaptability and execution. Their ability to cut through complexity, structure tailored solutions and deliver certainty when it matters most continues to set the benchmark for excellence across the commercial broking industry.
At La Trobe Financial, we believe that strong broker partnerships are essential to long-term success. For more than 70 years, we have worked alongside brokers through multiple market cycles, backing deals, supporting growth and providing consistency in challenging conditions. In a market where certainty matters, our focus is simple: to be a reliable, flexible partner that brokers can depend on.
We congratulate all of the Top Commercial Brokers for 2026 on their outstanding achievements and thank them for the trusted partnerships they continue to build. We wish you every success as you help shape the future of the industry.
Cory Bannister
Chief Lending Officer
La Trobe Financial
To find and recognise the Top Commercial Brokers 2026, MPA invited brokers from across the country to submit their figures from the 2025 calendar year.
The online form asked for details such as the total value of commercial loans settled, the number of commercial loans settled and the proportion of loans in the following areas: commercial real estate, equipment and asset finance, SME lending, debtor finance, unsecured business lending and development finance.
Brokers also supplied information such as the number of support staff on their team, their number of years as a commercial broker and their aggregator details. Aggregators were then required to verify the details submitted.
The final ranking of the top 34 brokers, each of whom settled over $100 million, was determined by the total value of commercial loans they originated during the 12-month period.
MPA’s Top Commercial Brokers for 2026 is proudly sponsored by La Trobe Financial.
